(Vienna, 20 October 2026) – The course ‘Medical Communication B’ at the Medical University of Vienna has been honoured by the nationwide ‘Gute Gesprächsqualität’ (Good Quality of Communication) initiative for its outstanding commitment to teaching communication skills. The award was presented to mark the initiative’s tenth anniversary and specifically recognises the work of Birgit Hladschik-Kermer, the course coordinator.
Birgit Hladschik-Kermer is Head of the Medical Psychology Unit and Deputy Head of the Department of Public Mental Health at the Center for Public Health at MedUni Vienna; as coordinator of ‘Medical Communication Skills B’, she plays a key role in teaching communication skills to medical students.
Hladschik-Kermer has integrated the international evidence-based teaching standards of ÖPGK-tEACH into medical communication training within the medical degree programme. A key component of this implementation is the extensive training of teaching staff, which she delivers as part of the MedUni Vienna Teaching Staff Workshop (MLW). The aim is to systematically prepare future doctors for patient-centred and professional communication in everyday clinical practice.
With this award, the initiative recognises the embedding of quality-assured communication skills in medical education. The Teaching Center and the Directorate of the Curriculum in Human Medicine at MedUni Vienna congratulate Birgit Hladschik-Kermer and the team coordinating the ‘Medical Communication B’ programme on this recognition.